Genes for Healthy Aging Found

In addition to the genes associated with longevity, say Chinese scientists, there are genes associated with age-related behavioral decline. The scientists decided to substantiate this assertion by studying differences in the rate of aging in wild strains of Caenorhabditis elegans , while also measuring the rates of age-related decline in traits associated with mating, feeding, and locomotion. Ultimately, the scientists determined that polymorphisms in a novel peptide-coding gene, named regulatory-gene-for-behavioral-ageing-1 ( rgba -1), and the neuropeptide receptor gene npr -28 influence the rate of age-related decline in mating and feeding traits.
Detailed results appeared November 9 in the journal Nature , in an article entitled, “Genetic variation in glia–neuron signalling modulates ageing rate.” This study reveals the first genetic pathway underlying natural variation in the rate of aging, and it uncovers the important role of neuropeptide-mediated glia-neuron signaling in controlling the aging rate.
“Glia-derived RGBA-1 activates NPR-28 ...

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BioinformaticsBioinformatics is the application of computer software and hardware to the management of biological data to create useful information. Computers are used to gather, store, analyze and integrate biological and genetic information which can then be applied...